WA Judge Rules Doctors Can Advertise MMJ

1/16/2015

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Some rules changed in Washington last week when Pierce County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Martin overruled a previous law, which banned medical marijuana advertisements by health care providers.

The ruling stemmed from the case of Dr. Scott Havsy, who was sued by the Department of Health in 2012 for publishing advertisements that contained information about medical marijuana and steps to find out if one would qualify for the program. The ads appeared on his website and in certain phone books, and depicted a marijuana leaf with a prescription symbol.

Judge Martin ruled last week that the current ban was a violation of the First Amendment, the right to free speech. “I believe an argument can be made that the speech in question is not purely commercial, but has an informational component for the benefit of the recipient,” Martin explained.

Now, it may be easier for patients in Washington to connect with doctors familiar with and who are friendly towards cannabis therapy, which remains a contested topic in some medical communities.

Meanwhile, the Washington state medical marijuana market remains in a state of limbo as lawmakers in Olympia begin the next legislative session looking for ways to introduce regulations to the currently largely unregulated system.

Sources:

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/health-care-inc/2015/01/washington-state-doctors-can-advertise-medical

Photo Credit: Coleen Whitfield

 

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2014 Saw Marijuana Investments Increase 942%

1/15/2015

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A recent report published on Inc.com estimates that business investments in the cannabis industry have increased 941.5% in recent years, particularly in 2014. Experts predict that those numbers will only continue to grow this year, and that the industry will have spent close to $2 billion within the next 18-24 months as more medical and recreational markets come online.

Privateer Holdings — the private equity company behind Leafly, Tilray, and the Marley Natural brand — received by far the most investments, with $75 million raised. Recently, Privateer Holdings made international headlines as Founders Fund, one of the top venture capital investment firms from Silicon Valley, announced an investment of millions in the current industry leader.

Other noteworthy investments will go to PharmaCann, a Chicago-based group who raised $20 million towards their marijuana cultivation centers, and Leafline Labs, one of Minnesota’s only licensed medical marijuana producers, who successfully raised $12.4 million.

Sources:

http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/cannabis-raised-104-million-venture-capital.html

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/after-2014-boom-marijuana-investments-poised-for-another-big-year/

Photo Credit: Ken Teegardin

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Oregon Legislature Faces Host of New Marijuana-Related Proposals

1/14/2015

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In November, Oregon voters passed Measure 91 to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana. Now, the new state legislature — legislators were sworn into office on Monday — has a hefty project to tackle.

At least 16 marijuana-related bills were introduced to the Oregon state legislature on Monday, and more are expected. They cover a wide variety of issues in the political spheres of both recreational and medical marijuana, reports the Oregonian.

Faced with the task of implementing Measure 91 — which legalizes the home possession of up to eight ounces of cannabis and calls for a regulated market to be in place by 2016 for the adult distribution of the drug for recreational purposes — lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are now scrambling to have a say in the development process.

Clearly, some bills here are meant to inhibit marijuana’s progress toward mainstream acceptance. There are some, however, which aim to foster the industry’s growth and improve society’s understanding of cannabis and all the social, economic, and political implications it carries.

Democratic Sen. Chris Edwards is sponsoring two proposals, Senate Bills 479 and 480, which would designate further research into the benefits of medical marijuana and spark an investigation into how the medical industry can best serve its patients.

Rep. Peter Buckley, a Democrat from Ashland, has a hemp-focused approach: he introduced a measure that would remove the requirement for industrial hemp farmers to get a permit from the state government. Oregon is one of several U.S. states that have legalized industrial hemp, which was recently recognized as a legitimate industry of the future by the federal government.

“You can’t see the passage of something major like that and not think that you need to figure out how to manage it,” said Rep. Julie Parrish, a Republican from West Linn. Parrish proposed two bills herself, both of which address the issue of marijuana use by daycare providers. One bill would prohibit state funds from going to daycare providers that hold medical marijuana cards, the other would issue mandatory drug tests for certain daycare providers.

Two other bills — House Bills 2040 and 2041, proposed by Republican Rep. Greg Smith — would, respectively, prevent any marijuana sales within one mile of schools and allow for a one-mile marijuana exclusion zone around any school grounds. Geoff Sugerman, who lobbies for the marijuana industry, said that a one-mile zoning law “would certainly serve as a moratorium in some cities,” and that Measure 91 already addresses this issue by giving localities the right to opt out of recreational cannabis if local voters support the move.

There is also a proposal to address the dangers of home hash oil production, and another to put pregnancy warning labels on cannabis products, among many others.

Sources:

http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/01/a_gusher_of_marijuana_bills_–.html

Photo Credit: Doug Kerr

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2014 Was a Big Year for Ganjapreneur.com

1/14/2015

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Ganjapreneur is proud to say that we had a great year in 2014, and we immensely appreciate all of the enthusiasm that our audience has shown. From our official launch in July through the end of December, we have seen major growth in all of our metrics: from website traffic, to social media outreach, to email subscriptions and engagement, to downloads of our mobile app, submissions to our business directory, and many more. Virtually every facet of our business has grown by many factors over the past six months. Thank you, everybody: we couldn’t have done it without all of you!

We especially want to thank all of the ganjapreneurs and investors who contributed their knowledge and wisdom via interviews, so that our audience of aspiring ganjapreneurs could learn from their experience and be inspired to pursue their own dreams. We have found that there is truly a spirit of cooperation and community among the cannabis industry pioneers we have interacted with, and we believe that it comes from the understanding that beyond the incredible business opportunities that this industry has made possible, it is crucial to recognize that cannabis prohibition is a moral issue as well as an economic one.

There are still lives being ruined by the senseless, politically-motivated drug policy enforced by the US Federal Government. People who have committed nonviolent “crimes,” many of whom need medical cannabis to treat severe ailments and disabilities, are still rotting in jail cells alongside murderers and rapists. Although significant progress has been made to repeal cannabis prohibition in some states, its effects will be long-lasting and severe for many of the most vulnerable citizens of our planet. While there is cause to celebrate that the legalization movement seems to be gaining momentum, newcomers to the industry need to remember that today’s economic opportunities were made possible by decades of activism and sacrifice by those entrenched in the cause.

2015 will bring many more opportunities, as the recreational industries in Colorado and Washington have made it clear to the general public that a legalized recreational market will not cause social harm, and will in fact bring many benefits to society. As Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C. implement their own markets and the benefits of legalization become undeniable, other states will follow in their footsteps. In today’s political climate, representatives on either side of the aisle can reasonably discuss cannabis policy reform without being ridiculed by their colleagues. Thus, we believe it is only a matter of time before prohibition is repealed at the federal level and the industry comes into its own as a contributor to the world’s legitimate economy. As we have stated in our manifesto, when you take profits away from violent cartels and corporate prisons and put them into the hands of the people, good things will happen.

This is just the beginning. Ganjapreneur has grown rapidly, but we have many more announcements coming in the near future and we will be expanding our services in a major way over the next several months. Check back often to see what we have added recently, and please share our site with your friends. Here’s to another year of growth for all the ganjapreneurs out there. Thank you again for all of your support!

Photo Credit: Mark

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MMJ Tug of War In Nevada’s Clark County

1/14/2015

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Medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada’s Clark county could start to open this month, following a recent ruling by Judge Kathleen Delaney that stated that the process used by the State Division of Public and Behavioral Health to determine which businesses may operate medical marijuana dispensaries in Clark county followed all rules and protocols correctly.

As we’ve seen happen in other states, legalizing medical marijuana could bring Nevada a step closer to legalizing it for recreational use. This puts Las Vegas, already a major tourist beacon, in a great spot to potentially rake in millions of tourist dollars if the current petition to legalize recreational marijuana by 2016 passes.

But first, Nevada lawmakers at the state and county levels have to work out how they choose which dispensary applicants get approval to operate.

Who Gets Approved?

The issue stemmed from the conflict between the state’s approval process and the county’s approval process. When applications for dispensary licenses opened up, 79 applicants filed to fill the 18 available spots to legally sell medical marijuana in the unincorporated parts of Clark county. An unincorporated area is a parcel of land with no municipal government that is instead governed by a higher level of administration such as its county or state.

Initially, ten of these applications were approved by both the state and the county. This left eight spots available for other hopeful prospective dispensary operators.

Of the remaining hopefuls, Nevada approved eight applications and Clark county approved another eight. In this latter group, five filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that the state gave its chosen applicants preferential treatment and calling for an injunction to reexamine the state’s authorization process.

Clark County Strikes Back

But the attempt to re-open the state licensing process failed. On December 29th, 2014, 58 applications were denied by the Clark County Commission. Some of these applications had already been approved by the state. This was done in an attempt to force the state to re-open its licensing process.

Currently, only ten dispensaries are clear to launch: the original ten who received approval from both the county and the state.

County vs. State

When the lawsuit for the injunction failed, many Nevada residents felt it was a huge blow to the county’s autonomy to govern itself within the larger context of the state.

But it’s more than just that. On a national scale, this is a precedent for all the states that will legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the coming years. We’ve already seen and heard stories about the federal government prosecuting individuals who legally grow and use medical marijuana in their home states. This ongoing battle between Clark county and the state of Nevada isn’t much different from that – it’s a manifestation of the ongoing struggle between big and small government in the United States. And just like in benchmark cases like Gonzales vs. Raich, the bigger government prevailed in Nevada.

Photo Credit: Bert Kaufmann

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Governor Deal Kills Georgia MMJ Bill

1/13/2015

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Georgia Governor Nathan Deal made headlines last week for supporting a ‘new bill to legalize medical marijuana.’ This new bill would kill Georgians’ chances at being able to develop a localized medical marijuana industry, and offers zero opportunities to purchase medicine within state lines.

Patients and their families that had been awaiting the opportunity to access medical marijuana legally were disappointed to learn that the new bill, the result of a closed-door discussion between Deal and State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), would merely offer prosecutorial “immunity” for “certain citizens” who brought legally-purchased marijuana into Georgia from other states. This would amount to forcing people to break federal law in order to take advantage of the program, a fact that Deal and Peake have not acknowledged, choosing instead to repeat the line that the bill will “be bringing Georgia families back home.”

James Bell, director of Georgia’s Campaign for Access Reform and Education (C.A.R.E.) Project, condemned the move: “They have pulled the wool over our eyes and pulled the rug out from under the citizens of Georgia that support medical marijuana. They have betrayed the will and desire of the people of Georgia with their political shenanigans.”

Rep. Peake, meanwhile, argued that “we need to conduct more research on setting an in-state growing scenario in order to provide the best and most effective infrastructure for our citizens.” The bill does provide for the creation of a council charged with performing research in order to establish a regulatory model for a Georgian medical marijuana growth and distribution system in the future.

While Peake called the HB 1 “a huge step forward,” Blaine and Shannon Cloud, whose daughter Alaina suffers from seizures, expressed dismay in an interview with WSB-TV Atlanta. Shannon Cloud said that it was “a disappointing day for all of the families because we had high hopes this was going to be the year and Georgia was actually going to do it the right way.”

Medical marijuana advocates in Georgia had received some unexpected help last year when Rep. Peake adopted the issue and filed a house bill that focused on making CBD oil (Cannabidiol) available for patients with epilepsy. The bill failed to pass, but in November Peake pre-filed House Bill 1 for the 2015 legislative session, promising constituents that it would allow them to obtain cannabis oil in the state.

Peake acknowledged this in a statement made Friday:

“Last year, I made a promise to bring our families home and to give Georgians a chance to obtain cannabis oil in our state without fear of prosecution, and this has remained a priority. The changes that we have agreed upon for HB 1 vary slightly from the original version, but the bottom line is that we will be bringing Georgia families back home.”

Meanwhile, the Georgia C.A.R.E. project has encouraged the public to abandon HB 1 and to focus attention instead on Senator Curt Thompson’s (D) Senate Bill 7, which would allow Georgian physicians to recommend certain patients up to two ounces of medical marijuana.

Sources:

http://www.gacareproject.com/governor-nathan-deal-kills-medical-marijuana-bill/

http://www.gacareproject.com/georgia-marijuana-legislation-2015-three-bills-filed/

http://v2010.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=283859

http://www.peachtreenorml.org/news/georgia-marijuana-legalization-2015

Photo Credit: Brett Weinstein

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Billion-dollar Investment Fund Bets Big On Cannabis

1/12/2015

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The cannabis industry has received a lot of hype since Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana’s recreational use in 2012. Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C. followed suit in 2014, and a swath of medical marijuana legislation continues to sweep the nation in the meantime. Despite countless ganjapreneurs and pot-enthusiast investors stepping forward to stake claim in this exciting new industry, mainstream investors have pointedly refrained from the potentially volatile industry, which is still a federally-illegal pursuit.

However, last week marked a major change for legal marijuana. Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capitalist firm headed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, has announced a multi-million dollar investment in Privateer Holdings, an emerging leader in the cannabis sector.

Historically, Founders Fund have thrown their weight behind major players in the technology sector. For example, the investment firm’s impressive portfolio boasts partnerships with Facebook, Spotify, Airbnb, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX — a company that’s working to commercialize space travel for private citizens.

According to the Founders Fund manifesto, “The best companies create their own sectors.” The manifesto describes in detail the downfall of venture capitalism in recent decades, and explains that Founders Fund strives to break the boring investment formulas that defined the end of the 20th century. “Investing in companies doing things that are breathtakingly new and ambitious is provocative…. Simply doing what everyone else does is not enough,” they advise.

Founders Fund have clearly taken a good look at the cannabis industry and recognized the wealth of entrepreneurial talent that’s brewing here. The latest addition to the Founders Fund portfolio, Privateer Holdings, has already established itself as an industry leader via Leafly, a popular dispensary and cannabis strain index for medical and recreational consumers; Tilray, a Canada-based provider of premium medical marijuana products; and Marley Natural, a product line launching later in 2015 which is destined to be the world’s first international marijuana brand.

“Founders Fund is known for making some of the most lucrative and radically transformational investments of the past decade,” said Privateer Holdings CEO Brendan Kennedy in last week’s press release regarding the deal. “With this investment they are signaling that they, like us, believe that the end of prohibition and the social harms it causes is inevitable.”

While some investors may see Founders Fund’s decision as risky, many would argue that the timing is more perfect now than it has been since prohibition began. With public support for drug policy reform at an all-time-high and a majority of Americans in favor of decriminalizing cannabis, the political momentum is clear. Elected officials from both liberal and conservative camps can openly discuss cannabis policy reform without being ridiculed. When coupled with the likely impact that legalized cannabis and hemp will have on the pharmaceutical, textile, plastics, and energy industries, the potential for growth is truly mind-blowing. And with a prominent example to follow, now the question becomes: which high-profile mainstream investment firm will be the next to bet big on the cannabis boom?

Sources:

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/01/09/peter-thiels-founders-fund-invests-millions-into-marijuana-industry/

http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/11/marijuana-is-still-illegal-by-federal-law-but-this-venture-capital-firm-doesnt-care/

http://www.foundersfund.com/the-future/

http://www.privateerholdings.com/portfolio/

Photo Credit: photosteve101

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Recreational Marijuana Prices Drop 40% In Washington State

1/11/2015

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Since the July opening of Washington’s legal marijuana shops, the market has been plagued with steep prices and product shortages. Now, six months and many more production licenses later, the market’s notoriously high prices have dropped on average 40 percent, according to a recent Bloomberg News article.

Prices now average $15 per gram, which, compared to the $25 grams widely reported during the market’s launch, is a drastic reduction. Black market prices, however, continue to undercut the legal market.

In total, the Washington recreational cannabis industry generated $65.3 million in legal marijuana sales and $16.3 million in tax revenue for the state in 2014.

The industry saw significant spikes in sales for the holidays during November and December. On December 31, retail pot shops reported a record-breaking day of sales: for New Years, Washington residents purchased $1.2 million worth of retail marijuana, which was significantly more than the previous record of $1 million, set on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-07/price-of-legal-pot-plunges-40-in-washington-as-shortages-ease.html

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/wa-rec-sales-rise-5-set-daily-record-to-end-2014/

Photo Credit: taki Lau

 

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Understanding Domain Real Estate: Marijuana.com and Other Big-Selling, High-Revenue Brands

1/10/2015

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To many everyday onlookers, the world of domain names can be a mysterious pursuit: the concept of an online fixer-upper may seem absurd to some, while others may undoubtedly balk at the enormous price tags of high-traffic web domains. In today’s business world, however, a company’s online presence can be the ultimate tool for driving up revenues and expanding the business — and a good domain name is an excellent starting point.

The marijuana industry is no different. In 2011, Marijuana.com was bought for $4.20 million by General Cannabis Inc., the company behind WeedMaps.com. At the time, Marijuana.com generated about 3.5 million unique visits. In its expansion, the company went on to hire Al Olson, former senior editor for CNBC, NBC News, and TODAY, as managing editor for the website; and then, more recently, the website was completely revamped to become first and foremost a sharing-based, social media community. The site today has grown into one of the leading cannabis-focused destinations around the web.

That formula, of course, is utilized in every industry. For another vice-dedicated site, check out Whisky.com: this premium domain name was purchased for $3.1 million on the first day of 2015. The site itself is ripe with activity — original content articles catch the homepage viewer’s eye, and there’s also a host of video blogs, forums and subforums, an extensive database of whiskies, and even a virtual tour of a whisky distillery. $3.1 million may seem like an overwhelming asking price, but the amount of direct-match Google searches, organically generated website traffic, and the existence of an already-successful franchise on the domain nearly guaranteed the investment’s worth.

Our next story is an odd one, but it demonstrates both the sticking power behind a premium brand domain and the devilish intricacies of corporate competition. The domain in question is VacationRentals.com, which is the most expensive domain name ever bought at $35 million. The website looks flashy and undoubtedly hosts a lot of tourists surfing through the site’s many vacation rental listings, but the real reason behind the domain’s absurd price? Competition. “The only reason we bought it was so Expedia couldn’t have that URL,” explained HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples. It may take some time to pay off that massive investment, but tourist lodging is a lucrative industry, and if HomeAway had earned enough to front the $35 million price tag, it can probably do it again and more.

Some domain-related transactions aren’t solely about the URL. For example, check out Amazon’s 2010 acquisition of Quidsi, the original company behind Diapers.com and Soap.com. Quidsi started the websites, built a healthy franchise, and eventually attracted the attention of some serious corporate players. Amazon purchased the company and its premium domain franchises for $500 million (and also assumed some $45 million in debt and other obligations), which was a hefty investment but justified by the amount of brand-building Quidsi had accomplished already for both websites. The Quidsi leadership staff was even left in charge of the websites, presumably because Amazon recognized and respected the talent behind the existing franchises.

The business of legal marijuana may be in its infancy, but as the industry gains mainstream respect and the country leans further and further toward full legalization, these surreal tales of corporate entrepreneurship will someday soon find themselves replicated in the marijuana business. Until then, ganjapreneurs can keep their eye out for unique brand-building opportunities, because you never know what might be your next million-dollar idea.

Sources:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/28/weedmaps-acquires-marijuana-com-for-a-kushy-4-20-million/

http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2014/february.htm

http://www.domaininvesting.com/homeaway-ceo-on-vacationsrental-com/

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-announces-500-million-acquisition-of-diaperscom-2010-11

Photo Credit: India7 Network

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Detroit Has More Dispensaries Than Grocery Stores

1/09/2015

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“Detroit has three casinos, 23 libraries,  107 parks, 115 grocery stores, and – wait for it – 180 medical marijuana dispensaries.”

That’s the opening line of a recent Daily Caller article highlighting the explosive growth of the Detroit medical marijuana dispensary scene, which has really taken off in recent years. Currently, Michigan state law allows medical marijuana use for qualifying patients, but the issue of dispensaries has remained largely unregulated.

In an interview with CBS Detroit, City Councilman James Tate called the industry “the next big thing in the city of Detroit.”

Observing the flow of new businesses, however, Tate has expressed concerns about the possible over-saturation of dispensaries. “It’s not about being against it. It’s about making sure that we’re able to regulate it in a way that ensures the best quality of life for the residents who live in that area.”

A medical marijuana bill was considered by the legislature in December, but failed to pass through the Senate. That bill, however, did not address the issue of dispensaries. Rather, it would have given patients access to non-smokable medicine such as marijuana-infused edibles or tinctures.

Concerned individuals are now looking to the state legislature to set up regulations for dispensaries.

Sources:

http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/08/detroit-has-more-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-than-it-can-count/

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2015/01/08/180-marijuana-dispensaries-pop-up-in-detroit-this-is-the-next-big-thing-in-the-city/

Photo Credit: paul bica

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Ganjapreneur Announces New Cannabis Domain Name Market for Start-Ups and Venture Capital Firms

1/08/2015

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Ganjapreneur, a website dedicated to cannabis business news and culture, has recently announced the launch of their Cannabis Domain Name Market. “Ganjapreneur is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs in legal cannabis space optimize and grow their business, and ultimately, a great domain name goes a long way to helping them achieve that through a highly visible online presence and strong brand. With our background in the domain space and understanding of the importance and value of a great domain name for any entrepreneur, a domain market was a clear next step and perfect fit for Ganjapreneur.com. We plan to launch many more business services in the near future for our audience as well,” said Andrew Rosener, Founder and CEO of Ganjapreneur.com.

The market consists of hundreds of marijuana keyword and brandable domain names available for immediate purchase, sorted by category, type, and price. The market is designed to be a resource for venture capital firms and start-ups looking to get involved in the cannabis industry, and it is launched in partnership with Escrow.com, the leading escrow service for domain name transactions in order to make transactions safe and easy.

Ganjapreneur is a joint venture of Media Options, Inc. and THC Media Group, Inc., which launched in the summer of 2014 and has steadily grown in scale. The website now offers a live feed of cannabis job board listings from around the web, a large body of original news articles, editorials, and interviews with business owners, as well as a dictionary of marijuana slang terms, a mobile app, and a business directory for B2B service providers in the cannabis industry.

The domain name market is the latest addition to Ganjapreneur’s array of features geared toward cannabis industry start-ups and investors. It includes premium domain names such as Oregano.com & MyCannabis.com with price tags over $25,000, although the majority are listed between $2,000 and $10,000. Available options include dot-com domains such as SourDiesel.com and MarijuanaButter.com, as well as alternative top-level extensions such as Cannabis.cruises and Grow.xyz.

Over the past six months, Ganjapreneur has published several interviews with prominent cannabis industry entrepreneurs, or “ganjapreneurs,” including a founding partner in a cannabis-focused investment firm, the owner of the first recreational cannabis day spa in Colorado, and the founder of a Seattle-based recruiting and staffing firm which connects cannabis industry employers and hopeful job seekers. The website also covered the first sales of edibles and concentrates in Washington state, and was the only media outlet to capture the moment on video.

The announcement of the domain market marks the site’s latest expansion of its services geared toward marijuana business owners and investors. “This is just one of many resources we are developing to help ganjapreneurs start or grow their business,” said Noel Abbott, Ganjapreneur’s CTO. “We are excited to announce our domain name market, and we have many more announcements coming in 2015.”

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Four Methods for Growers to Lower Their Electricity Bills

1/08/2015

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A hot topic in the new marijuana mainstream is electricity use. Considering that four states and Washington D.C. have voted for recreational marijuana, half the country has legalized medical marijuana in some form, and that many more legalization laws are expected on the ballot in 2016, the stress on electrical grids from production companies in the marijuana industry is likely to only keep growing.

In 2012, the Weed Blog reported that Arcata, CA was planning to tax growers — who used three times the normal amount of electricity — an extra 45% of their monthly power bill. USA Today reports Boulder, CO has responded to the high demand by placing a tax on power that will result in an extra 100 dollars per kilogram of cannabis. Additionally, the governor of Washington is presenting a cap and trade bill in the next legislative session, which will likely raise electricity costs for large scale growers.

The following are four different ways that growers can start lowering their electricity bills.

The Basics

In a paper entitled “Top 10 Things a Greenhouse Grower Can do to Improve Efficiency,” Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recommends some common sense ideas for improving energy savings. The paper suggests that the biggest energy waster in a greenhouse is often a lack of insulation. This idea can be carried over to the grow room, as well. All pipes, water tanks and walls should be well insulated. In order to better maintain a uniform temperature, growing areas should be completely sealed. Growers can keep their system running as efficient as possible by conducting routine equipment maintenance. It’s also important to keep fan blades dusted, fan louvers airtight when closed, and to closely monitor automated controls like thermostats for malfunctions.

LEDs

Traditionally, indoor marijuana has been grown with High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs and/or Metal Halide lamps. Both use large amounts of energy. Additionally, these bulbs produce extraordinary amounts of heat, which necessitates even more energy to cool grow rooms and extra water to feed thirsty plants. Alternatively, LEDs emit far less heat, and use less electricity. Brian of Busy B LEDs, a commercial LED manufacturer, says “LEDs can save a grower up to 40%…. the biggest cost is upfront.” He continues, “LED light is intense, but it doesn’t spread out like HPS bulbs.” Brian estimates it takes two or three LED lights to cover the same square footage as one HPS. He points out movable track lighting is another way to overcome LED directional issues. Despite the upfront cost, investing in LED technology can save money in the long term.

Solar Panels

Solar power is a great way for commercial growers to offset their energy costs. A grower can expect the panels to last the life of the building, which makes them a great long term investment. According to Chris Herman of Seattle’s Sunergy Systems, a northwest solar panel installation company, a business can expect to pay off the cost of a solar system in four years. Additionally, Chris’ company has decided to cater directly to marijuana growers in the Seattle area. Looking at the public sector, Colorado and Washington have generous State tax credits for new solar customers. Washington State will pay 54 cents per kilowatt per hour (kw/h) for extra electricity produced on  locally-manufactured solar modules and inverters. The Federal Government recently extended a plan that provides a 30% tax credit on the installation cost of a solar system. If that wasn’t enough, new solar customers are eligible for a 5 year accelerated appreciation plan. In addition to these government incentives, many solar panel companies offer free installation, making solar even more affordable for growers who want to save on their power bill.

Energy Cooperatives

In this sense, a cooperative is a member-owned group of individuals — or businesses — who have come together under a common purpose to lower costs. Growers who install solar panels can group together to form their own coop, or join existing energy coops in their area. In addition to accumulating large amounts of sellable electricity, these co-ops become a place for members to also exchange ideas, thus strengthening the knowledge base of the community.

In the meantime, Colorado has pledged to use extra tax money to help growers become more efficient and lower the cannabis industry’s impact on the state’s electrical grid. Private companies like Sunergy systems are helping by offering industry-specific deals to marijuana growers. And, with legalization trends continuing the way they are, it may not be long before members of the cannabis industry are recognized as early leaders in sustainable agriculture.

Photo Credit: Joshua Heyer

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Reports Show Conflicting Predictions Over Legal Marijuana Revenues In NY

1/08/2015

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“Depending who you ask, tax revenues from legalizing marijuana in New York could raise revenues of $25 to $400 million in New York City alone, according to reports from the city’s Independent Budget Office and former City Comptroller John Liu.

The New York City Independent Budget Office report released last November estimates that legal marijuana could net the city $25 million in tax and sales revenues. Their report uses the legalization measures outlined in Sen. Liz Krueger’s (D-Manhattan) bill (S.6005) which would see a 4.5 percent sales tax on sales of recreational marijuana. The bill estimates New York would see $5 million to $22 million in revenues, based on figures from Colorado’s legal marijuana market.

The former city comptroller’s report, from August 2013, also bases much of its estimation on tax revenues but the IBO’s Chief of Staff Doug Turetsky said that Liu’s report assumes higher consumption, a shift away from the black market and indirect revenues.

“The [comptroller’s] report presented a preliminary estimate of the fiscal impact statewide from legalization and considered not just potential tax revenue but also savings,” Turetsky testified during a Dec. 17 hearing on legalization. “The savings derive from avoided police, judicial and correctional spending from marijuana-related arrests and incarcerations. Indirect revenues also would be realized from taxes on salaries from the jobs created in starting a new retail market.”

Liu’s report estimates $31 million in savings to the city derived from legalization by cutting low-level marijuana arrests. New York City saw more than 50,000 misdemeanor pot arrests in both 2010 and 2011 and about 39,000 in 2012, according to the report.

Julie Netherland, the Drug Policy Alliance’s New York deputy state director, says there are “a lot of variables” in determining which amount of revenue is a more likely outcome.

“The most recent numbers out of Colorado is $45 million in taxes and revenues since they launched their program and it is a much less populace state than New York,” she said. “I would anticipate New York would be much closer to the higher number than the lower number.”

Colorado’s recent figures also do not take into account the indirect revenues Liu accounted for in his report. Netherland said that the potential savings from policing and jailing low level marijuana offenders would be significant in New York because the state spends $75 million a year in New York City alone arresting people on low level marijuana charges.

New York City is notorious for their “stop and frisk” policies by which many of these arrests are made. Stop and frisk allows police to stop a person on the street and search them, forcing them to empty their pockets. If they are in possession of marijuana, once taken out of their pockets it becomes “in plain view” and an arrestable offense.

Netherland agreed that the larger estimate might be a better benchmark due to the rural makeup of upstate New York, home to the majority of the state’s agriculture industry. Although she says without a comprehensive study of the impact to the farming industry it is not exactly clear what economic boon legalization would have to the region.

Steve Ammerman, manager of public affairs for the New York Farm Bureau, said that while legalizing marijuana “is in the public discussion” they do not have a position on the matter unless it were introduced and voted on by the legislature. He noted that in the legal states there are regulations as to how marijuana is grown and he wasn’t sure whether the plant would be allowed on open farmland. Krueger’s bill does not specify whether marijuana would be allowed to be grown in that manner.

Kate Gurnett, press secretary for the state Comptroller’s Office, said the office does not have “any data or reports on the potential fiscal impact” of legalization in the state.

Photo Credit: Nana B Agyei

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New CNBC Documentary Explores Colorado’s $600 Million Marijuana Industry

1/07/2015

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A CNBC documentary — ‘Marijuana Country: The Cannabis Boom,’ — was released on Monday. The movie sets out to explore many unique avenues of Colorado’s widely watched and much publicized legal marijuana market.

CNBC correspondent Harry Smith interviews professionals, patients, and politicians about the intricacies of the nascent industry.

Smith uncovers modern cannabis culture in a way that mainstream media outlets often fall short of, with entire sections dedicated to the profiling of successful ganjapreneurs in Colorado and the struggles of a “medical refugee” family, who came to Colorado to have legal access to the high-CBD marijuana strain, Charlotte’s Web. Smith also investigates the legal market’s impact on the black market, which remains a very real option in Colorado.

The documentary premiered Monday evening, but is available at CNBC.com with your cable provider login.

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/marijuana-country-cannabis-boom-tv-review-article-1.2062500

http://www.cnbcprime.com/marijuana/

Photo Credit: Coleen Whitfield

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D.C.’s New Mayor and Attorney General Will Continue Fight for Legal Marijuana

1/06/2015

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The congressional challenging of Washington D.C.’s voter-approved Initiative 71, which legalizes recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and older in the District, has gotten a lot of attention in recent weeks. Sparking the controversy is the political rider sneakily attached to this year’s cromnibus spending bill by Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, which bans the enactment of laws that affect the legality of Schedule 1 substances in the nation’s capital.

However, two recently elected city officials — Mayor Muriel Bowser and Attorney General Karl A. Racine — have separately announced their intentions to continue fighting for the District’s autonomy on the issue of legal marijuana.

Before taking office, Bowser explained that “My job is to uphold the will of the voters, and the voters overwhelmingly support legalizing marijuana in the District.” She was sworn in on Jan. 2, and now says D.C. is prepared to “explore every option” to see that the voter-approved marijuana market is enforced in the nation’s capital, even if that means a lawsuit against Congress over the issue.

This statement, issued in an appearance alongside D.C.’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier on Sunday’s Meet the Press, was reinforced by a previous statement of Bowser’s to the Washington Post: “I continue to think that public safety is best served by having clear and enforceable laws.” Essentially, the D.C. police force needs to have a very clear understanding of what is legal and what isn’t regarding marijuana in the District, and — if this is truly a democratic society — the District’s voters should be the principal authority on such issues.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Racine has also announced that he will pursue the validation of Initiative 71 on behalf of D.C. voters. His belief, which coincides with many top D.C. and Democratic officials, is that Initiative 71 was officially enacted on Nov. 4 when voters expressed overwhelming support for legalization, and that Rep. Harris’ cromnibus rider should only target the future enactment of such laws.

Racine holds the unique position of being the District’s first elected attorney general. Formerly, the position was mayor-appointed and required confirmation by the city council. Racine’s successful campaign placed a heavy emphasis the intention to steer the District’s juvenile detention system “in a way that focuses more on rehabilitation and restoration as opposed to mere incarceration,” a stance that naturally sympathizes with the District’s desire to remove criminal penalties for petty marijuana possession.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/karl-racine-first-elected-dc-attorney-general-prepares-to-get-to-work/2014/12/30/df51f13e-8a47-11e4-9e8d-0c687bc18da4_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/protests-planned-as-congress-upends-dc-pot-legalization/2014/12/10/d39436a8-8084-11e4-81fd-8c4814dfa9d7_story.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/01/04/meet_the_press_interview_with_muriel_bowser__the_three_women_running_dc.html

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/dc-mayor-city-will-fight-for-rec-marijuana-law/

Photo Credit: tanjila ahmed

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The Evolution of Cannabusiness: Education Is Key

1/06/2015

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For years, marijuana growers, dispensaries and other businesses have spent much of their energy dodging legal inconsistencies in the system. Finally, some of these constraints are lifting. You might be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief, but in fact, there’s still a lot of work ahead to change cannabis’ image in the mainstream.

Support for medical marijuana is strong, even among some conservatives, but its recreational use still exists in a murky gray area. Unless you live in one of the country’s pot-friendly hubs, chances are, you’re going to come up against a lot of misunderstanding about using cannabis for anything other than a serious medical condition. One of the biggest hurdles facing ganjapreneurs today is moving cannabis out of the pothead/lazy stoner image into a more realistic representation of today’s cannabis consumers.

In a recent Ganjapreneur interview, investor Douglas Leighton mentioned that one thing setting ganjapreneurs apart from people in more well-established industries is “the passion for the industry as an entirety, and the desire to propel the movement forward… the people in this space want to educate that section of the population on why this plant can help so many people.” Education — through blogs, industry white papers, and responsible marketing — may be where new business owners decide to focus their efforts.

But how exactly is this to happen? Cannabis has not taken a mainstream route in its journey to legitimacy and it needs innovative visionaries to help educate the public as it emerges into the viable spheres of business, medicine and lifestyles.

One example of an entrepreneur attempting to bridge the gap between medical and recreational marijuana is Miz D’s Project. Miz D developed the “cannatherapy concept,” and it has been growing into a grassroots movement based on self-healing and an individualized program. Cannatherapy treats marijuana as a complete experience, only to be mindfully approached. With cannatherapy, the individual experience is stressed, and Miz D encourages new consumers to try it on their own as a tool for introspection rather than in a social, partying atmosphere. As well as her boutique in Vancouver, Miz D offers a series of podcasts geared to educate cannabis beginners.

Other innovative businesses like Danielli Martel’s cannabis-themed Primal Wellness spa in Englewood, Colorado and Denver-based artist Heidi Keyes who offers “cannabis friendly” art classes help the public see cannabis in a new light.

Social and political stigmas can be erased. It takes vision, education, and the commitment to challenge popular misconceptions.

Photo Credit: M a n u e l

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Hawaii Takes Another Step Toward MMJ Dispensaries

1/05/2015

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A legislative task force in Hawaii recommended last week that the state medical marijuana program should be expanded to include a system for dispensaries. Currently, Hawaii is one of the few states that has legalized medical marijuana but does not have a regulated system for dispensing the product.

The task force included a list of specific recommendations for getting the dispensary system up and running. Democratic Rep. Della Au Belatti of Oahu, who headed the task force, explained, “The recommendations are really just a starting point, some… will be taken up and some of them won’t.”

The program recommendations call for at least one dispensary in each county, and that general dispensary licensing should be addressed at a ratio of 500 patients per 1 dispensary. The task force also suggested that the application for a dispensary license should be $20,000 — with $18,000 being refunded to applicants who are not chosen — and that the annual license renewal for a dispensary should be $30,000. The licenses for producers would cost less, but get more expensive based on how many plants the licensee plans to be growing. The recommendations also include restrictions on marijuana dispensary and cultivation sites’ proximity to schools.

Additionally, Hawaii’s unique island status creates an interesting scenario for the discussion of medical marijuana, as it’s the only place where the transportation of medicine — via boat or plane — is an important consideration for the program as it moves toward a regulated, dispensary market. The task force suggested that the Department of Health set up security requirements for the transportation of medicine between the state’s many islands.

The first wave of licenses would be released January 1, 2017.

MMJ was legalized in Hawaii in 2000 as a treatment for the following conditions: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe pain, severe nausea, and seizures.

Sources:

http://westhawaiitoday.com/community-bulletin/task-force-recommends-hawaii-medical-marijuana-dispensaries

Photo Credit: Floyd Manzano

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Washington State Received $16 Million In Marijuana Taxes for 2014

1/03/2015

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2014 was a big year for marijuana. The Washington state recreational marijuana market garnered $16 million in excise tax revenue for the state between opening day in July and the year’s end, according to figures released by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

There are a current total of 99 licensed retailers that together distributed $64 million worth of retail pot in 2014. New Vansterdam, a Vancouver retailer, produced the most revenue with $2,748,875 worth of cannabis products sold. Two Seattle stores, Herbal Nation and Cannabis City, were 2nd and 3rd place with roughly $2.6 million and $2.5 million respectively.

Experts predict that 2015 will be even more successful as the amount of cannabis sold (and therefore the amount of taxes collected) is expected to reflect the continual growth of retailers, growers, and processors who are affecting the market.

Sources:

http://thejointblog.com/washington-state-garners-16-million-taxes-legal-cannabis-2014/

Photo Credit: Nicolas Raymond

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Colorado Requests Access to Legal Marijuana for State Colleges, Universities

1/02/2015

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Colorado has requested that federal health and education officials allow the state’s colleges and universities to access marijuana from sources other than the federal government, the Denver Post reports.

“Current research is riddled with bias or insufficiencies and often conflict with one another,” writes deputy attorney general David Blake in the request sent to federal officials last month. “It is critical that we be allowed to fill the void of scientific research, and this may only be done with your assistance and cooperation.”

Because cannabis remains federally illegal, institutions who rely on federal funding are not allowed to perform marijuana research without going through a lengthy process to acquire the substance from the only marijuana producer that operates in good graces with federal law: the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research. Not doing so could result in the loss of federal funding.

The Colorado attorney general’s letter, however, argues that cannabis products provided by the federal government simply cannot compare to those currently available on store shelves in Colorado.

Sources:

http://www.denverpost.com/marijuana/ci_27242925/colorado-seeks-federal-permission-state-colleges-grow-marijuana

Photo Credit: Dank Depot

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Former Senator Mike Gravel to Helm Cannabis Sativa Subsidiary

1/02/2015

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Former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel will serve as the new CEO of KUSH, a subsidiary of Cannabis Sativa, Inc. (OTCQB:CBDS). Headed by former New Mexico Governor and 2012 Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, Cannabis Sativa announced that KUSH will act as a separate business entity that will focus on the development and sale of recreational and medicinal marijuana products, including a lozenge called the “Kubby.” KUSH Executive V.P. and COO Michael Pickens announced that Gravel’s primary role as CEO would be to “direct the company to get products in states that will legally allow it.”

Gravel served as an Alaska Senator from 1969 to 1981, and has long been critical of the War on Drugs. “It’s so controversial because there’s a lot of stupid people locked into stupid policies,” he stated in 2007 during his bid for the democratic presidential nomination. “There are a lot of people on drugs all the time — what’s the big deal about it?” Indeed, Gravel noted that one reason he took the job at KUSH is that he “[feels] very deeply about the failure that is marijuana prohibition… Nixon is the one that put marijuana into a Schedule I. People forget that story, I lived through that. I thought it was horrible.”

The former Senator maintains that he will remain active in politics, stating that “it hasn’t changed my whole political posturing. I’ve been very active in the last month or so over the torture debate.” Gravel had called on Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO.) to put the Senate Intelligence Committee’s torture report into the public record in November, before the Committee released its executive summary of the report. Such a move would have echoed Gravel’s monumental 1971 entrance of 4,000 pages of the Pentagon Papers — the report detailing the Johnson Administration’s misleading of Congress and the public during the Vietnam War — into the congressional record, ensuring their publicity.

Cannabis Sativa’s chairman of the board Steve Kubby referred to Gravel as a “true American hero” in a statement, and went on to say that “Senator Gravel stood up to Nixon, stood up to the Pentagon, and now he is standing up to those in power who would keep the healthful benefits of cannabis from those who need them.”

Gavel’s straightforwardness has carried over to his work in the private sector. KUSH COO Michael Pickens noted that he has been “very active and outspoken” in his role at the Cannabis Sativa board of directors. “I specifically requested to work with him for his track record of taking action and holding people accountable in government, and now he gets to use those skills to advance another worthy project,” he added.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/mike-gravel-marijuana_n_6396646.html

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/11/10/mike-gravel-senator-put-pentagon-papers-public-record-urges-udall-torture-report/

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/mike-gravel-kush-marijuana-113878.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102300821#.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

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Founder of Marijuana Investment Group Interviewed by Ganjapreneur

12/31/2014

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As public support for the legalization of marijuana has grown, so has the speculation that the cannabis industry could be poised for a major boom if the US federal government changes its policy toward the drug. Like any other emerging market, the cannabis industry has piqued the interest of many venture capital and investment firms around the globe. Recently, Ganjapreneur, a website dedicated to the growing industry, published an interview with Douglas Leighton, founding partner of Dutchess Capital, an investment group which has recently focused its investments on cannabis start-ups.

In the interview, Leighton discusses how Dutchess Capital came to view the cannabis industry as an opportunity and what led to their eventual decision to invest in several start-ups. “It took us about 10 months of due diligence before we were comfortable to make the first investment,” he states. “We joined ArcView, the angel network for the cannabis industry, in the summer of 2013 and met Isaac Dietrich of MassRoots and subsequently made the first investment.” MassRoots is a popular, pseudo-anonymous social network for cannabis users. Leighton elaborates, “They are largest social networking site for the cannabis community and have grown over 2,000% year over year. They are anonymously collecting a tremendous amount of data from their user base such as a user’s strain preference, time of day they consume, consumption method among other key data collection points. They will be able to monetize this data via sponsored posts of either localized merchants and/or national brands.”

Leighton also discusses his predictions for the future of the industry as more and more states begin to legalize cannabis. “The largest market will be pharmaceutical marijuana. This will be a genetically modified version of what is used today for medicinal purposes. The power of this plant is not fully understood; once big pharma understands it, they will get involved.”

Beyond a thriving medical market, Leighton believes that every niche associated with cannabis or hemp will likely see major growth over the next several years. However, this doesn’t mean that every business will prove to be successful. Leighton explains, “investing in this industry is like playing chess without being able to see the board. Eventually ignorance will abate, the banking issue will be fixed and the drug will be rescheduled.”

The full interview can be found on Ganjapreneur’s website, or via their Android app which was launched on the Google Play market earlier this year. Ganjapreneur has announced that their app will also be available in the Apple App Store in the near future. The site launched over the summer, and has since published a large volume of business-related articles and interviews pertaining to cannabis.

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Illinois MMJ Program Expanded to Include Patients Under 18

12/31/2014

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The Illinois medical marijuana program is expanding to include patients under 18 years old who suffer from certain health conditions, including epileptic seizures, the Associated Press reports. The changes are part of emergency rules posted by state health officials last week.

According to the Illinois Department of Health, children will require two separate doctor signatures that certify the patient will benefit from cannabis treatment before being allowed access to medical marijuana — adults only require one doctor’s signature to partake in the program. The annual fee for children, however, will be slightly lower.

The new rules have also added two spots to a medical advisory board: one spot is to be held by the parent or caregiver of a patient younger than 18, the other spot is for a medical professional whose focus is in pediatrics. These changes are to help ensure minors have their needs carefully considered in the wider context of the program.

These emergency rules only remain in effect for 150 days, permanent rules will be drafted later.

Sources:

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2014/39600/illinois-medical-marijuana-program-expanding-to-include-children/

Photo Credit: Matt Turner

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Five Methods of Dealing With Bad PR

12/31/2014

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Legal marijuana is a fast-growing and controversial sector of new business. Dispensaries have thousands of customers who buy their products without reservation or shame. It is an emerging and bustling market that has been widely spotlighted by the mainstream American media. Traditionally, the media’s number one goal is to publish stories that sell, and for a long time that meant publicly bashing marijuana culture and the shaming of marijuana users, whether they are medicinal or recreational users.

Therefore, it’s good to remember that although the majority of Americans now favor legalization, public opinion can still quickly be turned against a particular cannabis company or entrepreneur. Our industry is new, and Americans will require time to get used to dispensaries cropping up in their neighborhoods and towns. These are some tips to remember if you ever find yourself on the uncomfortable end of public scrutiny.

Don’t pick fights with the media.

Thicken your skin. Media outlets are in business to sell papers and airtime, so they normally they don’t have a real issue with you as long as you don’t start a fight. Let them publish their dirty old rag. Keep a healthy attitude about criticism, and you will live a long and happy life. This includes fighting with other dispensary owners or suppliers, and always avoid slights with the local authorities.

It is okay not to respond.

You pick up the paper and see a filthy article about how your business is spreading death and chaos around the community, and your blood boils. You want to go out and do press interviews and make releases to get your side of the story across. Sometimes, all this does is fan the flames. Sometimes, you can keep your mouth shut and that article in the newspaper or website will go away eventually.

Listen to negative comments to gain knowledge about customer issues.

True journalism should have some basis in fact — there may be marketing opportunities in there. Sometimes the press reveals public attitudes and thought processes that could be marketing opportunities. For example, some articles may provide hints about where the majority of your customers live. Other articles could help you learn about and address negative perceptions regarding your business. Not all criticism is bad: ignore the useless rants, but read through and record the helpful data.

Bad press is an opportunity.

Some bad press can increase business. Press, good or bad, will inform people where your business is and whether or not it is successful. The best dispensaries have dependable markets and sell what their customers want — sometimes the press can bring you more customers depending on your market. Monitor your sales very carefully after a press release, you may find a nice surprise.

Be good to your customers and grow your business, and people will forget bad press.

This tip can be summed up with one word: performance. Provide good products for your customers, and your business will grow — it’s simple. Negative press only lasts a while, and your business can outgrow every PR challenge if you keep level headed and proceed without irrational responses.

Photo Credit: Petras Gagilas

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Massachusetts Dispensary Licensing Snafu Rooted In Early Mistakes, Report Finds

12/30/2014

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Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana in 2012, and it was originally believed dispensaries would open in the summer of 2014. Now, after many months of delay and dozens of lawsuits against the state health department, the Boston Globe has released a report that identifies how things went wrong during the medical marijuana program’s launch.

According to the report, the whole implementation process was, “hobbled by too little time, too many conflicts of interest, and questionable work from highly paid contractors.”

“Massachusetts underestimated the time commitment it would take, and now it’s taking more time because they have had to backtrack,” explains Todd Brown, vice chairman of the Department of Pharmacy and Health Systems Sciences at Northeastern University. Brown served on a committee that was appointed by the state health department to recommend recipients for provisional dispensary licenses.

In June, that committee had to backpedal on nearly half the applications they had initially selected, citing issues that ranged from the companies’ financial structures to the way their background checks had been mishandled during the screening process.

The state originally contracted two different companies to get things underway. ICF International was hired to review and provide consulting on 100 marijuana business applications. Creative Services Inc. was hired to background check the more than 600 people who were involved with said businesses. Neither company, however, was tasked with actually verifying claims made by hopeful marijuana businesses in their applications.

Problems arose when locals felt their enthusiasm for the industry — or lack thereof — had been misrepresented in certain applications. Additionally, one couple who had their Colorado dispensary license revoked due to violations were not initially detected during the Massachusetts background checking process.

With public scrutiny growing, the two companies originally contracted to do the job had their contracts extended to address the growing concerns. The state of Massachusetts has now spent more than $1 million on its flawed system, and more money is yet owed.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts is one of many states gearing up for a 2016 push for the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Sources:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/massachusetts/2014/12/27/state-effort-license-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-went-off-rails-from-start/9UfRwaG7TpxtvTspkSFDkI/story.html

Photo Credit: Navaneeth KN

 

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